Q&A for How to Powder Coat

Mechanical means is the easiest way—that means sandblasting, sanding, or some kind of gross removal technique. You can also do some research to see if there's a chemical solution designed to remove that specific coating (like how turpentine works for paint).

Yes, but it will be difficult. You may find it hard to find a shop that has an oven wide enough to accommodate a car. Additionally, the powder will flow around the edges of a surface to the opposite when sprayed, which would result in heavy overspray outside of the car. This could be blown off, but you will be charged extra.

The fumes from powder coating are toxic. They also get reintroduced every time the oven gets turned on. You will need a designated oven for this. It's also dangerous to do this inside of the kitchen due to the fumes it produces while curing.

You can reuse it as many times as you like. There are no real pros to mixing different brands. The cons are pretty simple. They don't all use the same formula so there are different bake times and temperature ranges and you might not get a consistent mix throughout.

Yes. It will go from a dull-colored powder to a rich, shiny, and smooth coat.

Depending on how thick the tape is, yes. If you use painter's tape, it will, but you will have to remove the tape before the part goes in the oven. If you use high-temperature tape, you can leave the tape on while it's in the oven, but will have to remove it very soon after you remove the heated part. This will give you clean lines much like using tape on a wall and removing it right after painting.

You shouldn't powder coat a pistol. A ceramic coating (ex: cerakote) or chemical/electro plating process (hard anodize, chrome, etc.) is much more appropriate for the heat, stress, and wear and tear that a firearm can produce/suffer.

You should be more careful and avoid damaging it. Once damaged, you will lose much time trying to repair it, and it will never look as good as new. To repair it, you must re-powder coat it, but sand down the areas first.

You should protect your skin and eyes with a tyvek suit, gloves, and safety goggles. You should also get a good dust mask and perhaps a face shield. Electrostatic paint is not toxic, but it can dry out you skin and cause irritation, especially when inhaled.

That will take forever. You need an even heat source for the molecular bond.

Yes, providing you can get the face mask down to bare metal, and you use a thermoplastic powder.

No. It won't stick, as it requires a clean metal surface for the charge to travel through.

No, the powder won't stick to it.

If it was powder coated with a thermoset powder, it can take a high heat; a thermoplastic will re-melt at much lower temps. Both produce toxic flames at higher temps. I would caution you against this!

Yes you can. There are special ovens for this operation. They turn powder coating to ash that can be removed easily when finished.

That is nearly impossible because powder coating changes its form during the curing processes. It is not like paint that can be masked off for graphics or multi-tones. If you used a metal foil tape where the adhesive will not release under heat this may prevent runoff of the powder coating but attempting dual colors should be left to an expert and expect to pay handsomely. Reason: Prep and cleanup of the piece and of course you would have to be satisfied with the outcome. Most pro's I know only do 1 color process.